Regional Plan Review

Updated 31 July 2015 10:21am

Regional Plan Review

Over the last five years the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) has been working to review the existing regional plans for the Wellington Region. We have learned much about how human activity affects our region’s natural and physical resources and we have worked closely with communities and individuals to develop rules that protect the right things, in the right places.

As a result of this review, a new integrated regional plan - the Proposed Natural Resources Plan for the Wellington Region has been developed. The proposed Plan was approved by Council for public notification on 31 July 2015 and combines coastal and regional plans, as well as incorporating regulatory and non-regulatory methods.

The proposed Plan also identifies five distinct catchment areas (whaitua) within the region. The whaitua process provides a decentralised approach to establishing priorities and programmes within each whaitua through catchment groups called whaitua committees. These committees work collaboratively and use an integrated approach to resource management.

GWRC sends regular newsletters updating people on our work developing the new regional plan. If you would like to receive this newsletter please email us at regionalplan@gw.govt.nz and ask to be added to the mailing list. Alternatively you can view copies of previous newsletters here.

Submitting on the Proposed Natural Resources Plan for the Wellington Region

Formal submissions can be made from 31 July 2015 until 5pm on 25 September 2015. Anyone can make a submission, but it must be provided in the prescribed form. For more information on how to make a submission, including submission forms please click here.

After the close of submissions, GWRC will prepare a summary of submissions and will let submitters know when and where they can view this summary.

If you or another submitter request to be heard in support of your submission, GWRC will hold a hearing. A hearing committee or hearing panel will consider the submissions and hear any evidence that supports the submissions.

Developing the Proposed Natural Resources Plan for the Wellington Region

A draft Natural Resources Plan for the Wellington Region was published in September 2014 and was made available for public feedback from this time through to November 2014. We received comments, views and suggestions from more than 130 people or organisations and this valuable information helped us develop the Proposed Natural Resources Plan for the Wellington Region.

For more information on the development of the Proposed Natural Resources Plan click here